The Way of All Flesh eBook

Then came an even worse reflection; how if he had
fallen among material thieves as well as spiritual
ones? He knew very little of how his money was
going on; he had put it all now into Pryer’s
hands, and though Pryer gave him cash to spend whenever
he wanted it, he seemed impatient of being questioned
as to what was being done with the principal.
It was part of the understanding, he said, that that
was to be left to him, and Ernest had better stick
to this, or he, Pryer, would throw up the College
of Spiritual Pathology altogether; and so Ernest was
cowed into acquiescence, or cajoled, according to
the humour in which Pryer saw him to be. Ernest
thought that further questions would look as if he
doubted Pryer’s word, and also that he had gone
too far to be able to recede in decency or honour.
This, however, he felt was riding out to meet trouble
unnecessarily. Pryer had been a little impatient,
but he was a gentleman and an admirable man of business,
so his money would doubtless come back to him all
right some day.

Ernest comforted himself as regards this last source
of anxiety, but as regards the other, he began to
feel as though, if he was to be saved, a good Samaritan
must hurry up from somewhere—­he knew not
whence.

CHAPTER LVIII

Next day he felt stronger again. He had been
listening to the voice of the evil one on the night
before, and would parley no more with such thoughts.
He had chosen his profession, and his duty was to
persevere with it. If he was unhappy it was
probably because he was not giving up all for Christ.
Let him see whether he could not do more than he was
doing now, and then perhaps a light would be shed upon
his path.

It was all very well to have made the discovery that
he didn’t very much like poor people, but he
had got to put up with them, for it was among them
that his work must lie. Such men as Towneley
were very kind and considerate, but he knew well enough
it was only on condition that he did not preach to
them. He could manage the poor better, and, let
Pryer sneer as he liked, he was resolved to go more
among them, and try the effect of bringing Christ
to them if they would not come and seek Christ of
themselves. He would begin with his own house.

Who then should he take first? Surely he could
not do better than begin with the tailor who lived
immediately over his head. This would be desirable,
not only because he was the one who seemed to stand
most in need of conversion, but also because, if he
were once converted, he would no longer beat his wife
at two o’clock in the morning, and the house
would be much pleasanter in consequence. He would
therefore go upstairs at once, and have a quiet talk
with this man.